Hay-loader



L.H.KAUPK&

HAY LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJEI, 1917- 1,356,722. Patented Oct. 26,1920.

7SHEETS-SHEET I.

L. H. KAUPKE.

HAY LOADER. APPLICATION FIL' ED AUG.I3, 1917.

YISHIEET HEETZ.

a 4%? I le a I66 L. H. KAUPKE.

HAY LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I3. I917.

Patented Oct. 26,1920.

ISHEETS-SHEET 3.

L. H. KAUPKE.

HAY LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJB. 1917.

1,356,722. Patehted Oct. 26,1920. I

7 S H EETSSHEET 4.

zdfie dea L. H. KAUPKEJ HAY LOADER- APPLICATION FILED AUG.I3, I917- Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

7SHEETSSHEET 6- L. H. KAUPKE.

HAY LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 13. I917 1,356,722. Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

TSHEETS-SHEET 7.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEE H. KAUPKE, OF ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '10 ROCK ISLAND PLOW COMPANY, OF ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

HAY-LQADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

Application filed August 13, 1917. Serial No. 185,953.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, LEE H. KAUrKn, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Rock Island, Rock Island county, Illinois, have invented a certaln new and useful Improvement in Hay-Loaders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hay loaders, and one of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved hay loader structure which will be simple, durable and reliable in construction, and effective and efiicient in operation.

Other objects of my invention will appear hereinafter.

My invention consists in the features of novelty exemplified in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a general side view of an improved hay loader structure embodying my I invention Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged View of the lower end of the structure substantially in elevation, but partially in section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, showing the relation of the conveyer drum and raking cylinder.

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section through the main axle of the structure on the line 47-4: of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the position'of the supporting frame between the main axle and the fore-carriage.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section, substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 1 of the upper portion of the elevator.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail side View of the upper or hinged portion of the elevator, showing the mechanism for swinging the hinged section.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail plan of the tongue and fore-carriage.

Fig. 9 is a section substantially on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail viewof the rear raking cylinder, this view being partly in section and partly broken away to disclose the operating mechanism.

Fig. 11 is a staggered section through the structure shown in Fig. 10.

The structure shown in the drawings has a main supporting axle 8 at the outer ends on which the supporting and driving wheels 9 are mounted. These wheels however are rotatable on sleeves or bushings 10 so that the wheels may rotate free of said axle, and

without driving any of the mechanism when the machine is transported from place to place. These bushings are keyed to rotate with the axle by reason of the fact that axle or shaft in this construction is square in cross-section and suitable hub caps 11 are secured on the end of the axle to keep both Wheels and bushings in place. The inner ends of the wheel hubs have toothed ratchet wheels 12 formed therewith and the corresponding ends of the bushings have flanges 13 which carry pivoted pawl 14 adapted to be engaged with the teeth of the ratchet wheels and this forms driving connections between the wheels and axle. Thus the mechanism may be readily connected with or disconnected from the supporting wheels as desired. The structure has a supporting frame which extends forwardly from the main axle and is itself supported at its forward end by a fore-carriage to take the overhanging weight of the elevator structure. This frame involves two side bars 14 which have bearings 15 at their rear ends journaled by means of roller bearings on the sleeves 17 on the axle 8, and these side bars extend forwardly in parallel relation for a distance and then converge to a central tongue to which their forward ends are fastened. This tongue or beam consists of parallel bars '18 and spacer blocks 19, and rear end of the central beam is fastened, by means of angle brackets 20, to a cross brace 21 which is fastened to the frame bars 14: at the point where said frame bars bend inwardly. This frame has uprights 22 at its forward end which diverge outwardly to the width of and support the upper portion of the elevator, and these uprights are rigidly braced by the diagonals 23 fastened to the side bars 1 1 at the cross brace 21 and to the uprights 22.

The fore-carriage comprises a bail or arch axle 24 having supporting wheels 25 mountedthereon, and having a forwardly extending tongue 26 at its center. This tongue is held in rigid relation to the axle by means able or approved type by which the loader block has a socketed block 32 bolted thereto,

divided.

in the socket of which is fitted a ball shaped portion 33 of a casting 34 which is bolted to the arch axle 24, this ball has an enlarged opening through which a bushing pivot bolt 35 passes, the bolt having a rounded fitting to keep the parts in proper relation. This construction provides a universal or ball and socket joint between the loader frame andthe fore-carriage which permits movement of said carriage in any direction. This joint is located substantially in the vertical plane of the axis of the wheels so that the weight of the loader structure acts in a vertical plane of said wheel axis, and a spring 37 anchored to the tongue and the uprights 22 counterbalances the weight of the tongue. The parts are all so proportioned that the friction induced in the ball and socket joint by the weight of the overcharging elevator structure acts to retain the tongue in any elevated or depressed position to which it may be moved, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Thus the hitch on the tongue may be positioned to accommodate various wagons or hitches at different heights from the ground and it will be automatically held in any corresponding position in which it may be placed.

The elevator is inclined upwardly and forwardly and is continuous throughout its length, although the upper part is hinged with respect to the lower part so that the upper part may be swung through various angles as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 for the purpose of adopting the structure to the increasing height of the load on the wagon, and at the same time deliver the hay well forward onto the center of the wagon, thus relieving the men of a great deal of the work of distributing the hay on the wagon. This elevator involves two parallelly disposed, endless conveyer chains 39 having a plurality of transverse slats or flights 40 so as to form a continuous belt the width of the elevator. This conveyer belt extends the entire length of the elevator structure and runs around idler pulleys 41 beneath the upper end of the upper elevator section, one pulley being provided for each chain and the two outer pulleys having flanges to prevent lateral displacement of the belt. This conveyer or elevator belt is directly driven by the main aXle which has a plurality of large wheels 42 fastened thereon. These wheels are fastened directly on the axle and each has a plurality of tween the slats of the conveyer belt and.

act as the structure rotates to assist the elevator.

The slats or flights of the conveyer structure on its upper side travelon longitudinally disposed rails 44 which extend throughout the entire length of the elevator, although at the hinge joint these rails are The lower ends of these rails are attached to and supported by brackets 45 which are provided with journal bearings 46 within which the main axle is permitted to rotate.

These rails are also supported near their.

lower ends by means of a transverse frame beam 47 which is supported by the diagonal brace rods 48 upstanding from the side bars 14 of the frame thus providing a substantial yet light weight structure. The upper ends of the lower sections of these rails are supported by the transverse beams 49 which are mounted in triangular brackets 50 fastened to and supported by the upper ends of the frame uprights 22. The lower ends of the upper sections of the conveyer rails are supported in brackets 51 which are mounted upon a transverse shaft 52. This shaft is mounted in suitable bearings formed in the brackets 50 and constitutes pivotal axis upon which the upper section of the elevator swings. The brackets 50 also have segments 54, the peripheries of which are flanged and positioned to bridge the gaps formed by the separation of the rail section and thus support the conveyer belt across these gaps. The upper ends of the rails are arranged in rigid relation by means of the transverse angle beam 56 so that the rails and beam form the frame of the hinged or upper section of the elevator. The pulleys 41 for the upper ends of the conveyer chains are carried on a transverse shaft 57 supported in suitable bearings mounted on the upper ends of the rail sections. The upper reach of the conveyer belt travels upwardly upon substantial supports capable of sustaining the load of hay on the elevator. The lower reach of the conveyer travels over idler pulleys 58 which are mounted on a transverse shaft 59 mounted in bearings in the triangular bracket, and which are positioned just beneath the hinge of the sections of the elevator so that the lower reach of the conveyer is maintained out of the way so that it does not drag the hayfrom the wagon. The jointed or upper section of the elevator is provided with manual mechanism by means of which the operator may readily change the angle thereof from his position on the wagon. In the structure shown I provide a hand lever 60 at one side of the structure and which is fastened upon and adapted to rotate a transverse shaft '61 ournaled in the side brackets 50. On the side of the structure oppositethe lever, this shaft carries an arm 62 which is pivotally connected to a long operating link or rod 63 pivotally connected at 64 to the outer rail of theupper section. This lever 60 also'has by means of a grip operated latch 67 on the hand lever 60 and which is adapted to engage the notched quadrant 68 formed as a part of the bracket 50. Any suitable mecha nism may be employed for regulating the tension on the conveyer chain. In the drawing I have indicated a belt-tightener bracket 69 at the upper end of the elevator at each side thereof.

In order to confine the hay on the traveling conveyer I provide the side boards 70". extending up along each side of the elevator. These boards at the lower ends are supported by straps 71 bolted to frame, and at their upper ends by the supporting straps 118 fastened to bracket 50. These side boards structures are divided at the hinge joint and the upper ends of the lower sections have curved plates 73 which bridge the gaps at the joint.

In the rear of the elevator there is provided a supplemental gathering drum or cylinder hung in a frame which swings about the main axle as a pivot. This frame comprises the two side bars 75 connected at the rear ends by the transverse frame beam 76. At the forward ends these frame bars have downwardly curved bracket castings 77 which are journaled on the main axle so that the rear gathering cylinder may be swung vertically about this axle as a center. The cylinder is supported in depending bearing brackets 78 on the rear frame and is rotated by gearing driven from the main axle at one side of the structure, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. The main axle has a spur gear 79 which drives the spur pinion 80 mounted on the bearing 77. This pinion also carries a sprocket wheel 81 which drives a chain 82 extending rearwardly to the driving sprocket 83 on the shaft Set of the rear raking cylinder. In order to provide a substantial support for the pinion 80 and sprocket 81 I provide an additional bearing bracket 85 on the main axle. This driving mechanism is proportioned to drive the cylinder at the proper speed and in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. This gathering structure is supported from the main frame so that it may be vertically adjusted. Each side bar, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3, has a braced upstanding arm 86 with an opening in its upper en crank rod 87 extends. Each crank rod has a fixed collar 88 thereon which determines the lower limit of the range of movement of this rear raking mechanism. The forthrough which a ward end of .each crank rod is threaded into I a round nut 89 journaled in a bearing 90' fastened on the frame so that by the rotation of the crank rod 87 the height at which the rakinlg1 cylinder operates can be determined.

observed, is free to rise; when the structure amount which these collars are separated from the fixed collars 88 determining the range of rise and fall movement of said raking mechanism. If the raking mechanism is to be locked in position the adjustable collars 91 may be fastened close to the collars 88. The rear raking cylinder involves two heads 100 fastened upon the central shaft 84 to rotate therewith, and a plurality of raking shafts 101 extending between and journaled in bearings 102in said heads. In this particular structure there are five raking shafts distributed circumferentially.

Each of these shafts carries a plurality of outstanding flexible raking teeth 103. The teeth consist of wire rods given several turns 104 about the shafts and having their ends anchored by means of suitable bolts is rakingmechanism, as will be which the teeth project from the cylinder during the rotation thereof so that on the under side of the cylinder where the raking or gathering action takes place the teeth project at the proper angle, and on the upper side of the cylinder the teeth are angled so that they will pullout of the hay so as not to carry the hay around the cyl inder. In the structureshown each shaft 101 has a rigid arm 105 within the head adjacent the driving sprocket. These arms are pivotally connected to radial arms 106 on eccentric rings 107, there being one of these rings with an arm 106 for each shaft. These rings are rotatable on a cam oreccentric member 108 which is held in a fixed position by the bracket 78. This bracket has a hub the end portion 109 of'which is hexagonal, the cam also has a projecting portion 110 which is likewise hexagonal and these two portions are locked together by a rin 111 the interior of which is corresponding y hexagonal in shape. A sleeve 113 is mounted on the shaft and extends through this joint permits rotation of the shaft as shown more clearly in Figs. 10 and 11. The cam member is disposed eccentrically with respect to the shaft 84 and is so positioned that during the rotation of the cylinder it causes the eccentric rings 107 to rotate the shafts to the proper angle. The raking teeth 103 for instance, during the lower portion of the revolution of the raking cylinder are maintained substantially radial with respect to the shaft 84 so that they will properly gather the hay and carry it upwardly and deliver it on the elevator. As the cylinder .is rotated, however, the teeth are gradually angled so that during the upper portion of the revolution the teeth will be disposed substantially tangentially with respect to the shaft 84 and W111 withdraw from the hay in a straight line in such a manner that they do not carry the hay with them.

In order to properly maintain the hay upon the elevator while the conveyer travels upwardly I provide two sets of stripper or compressor bars, one set for each of the upper and lower sections of the elevator. The lower strippers consist of flat flexible bars 115 fastened to the transverse frame beam of the rear raking cylinder and extended downwardly around the rear cylinder and then upwardly along the upper side of the elevator. Their upper ends project considerably beyond the hinge joint. These stripper bars are fastened to the frame at the one point only namely, the beam 76 and from this point on they are entirely free and continuous, The lower portions are of course, bent to conform to the contour of the raking cylinder, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. These stripper bars extend parallel and are spaced apart between the teeth on both raking drums. The strippers 116 for the upper or hinged section of the elevator are entirely independent of the lower strippers. These upper strippers overlap the area covered by.

the lower strippers. Their ends are fastened to a transverse bar 117 which is free to rise and fall in'accordance with the quantity of hay passed upwardly on the elevator, this bar being guided by upstanding arms 118 at the side of the elevator. The bar has loop members 119 at its ends which em- ,brace theupright guides so as to prevent displacement of the bars. From this bar upwardly to the extreme upward end of the elevator the strippers are-continuous and are free to rise and fall in accordance with the quantity of hay in the elevator. By making the strippers for both sections of the elevator entirely independent of each other I am enabled to prevent the upper strippers from binding the hay in the event that the hay becomes wadded at the joint, this being a decided advantage over other types of strippers which have upper and lower sections hinged together.

I claim:

1. The combination of a hay loader ele-- vator comprising hinged sections movable relatively to assume various angles, and a plurality of compressor bars for each section overlapping at the hinge joint between the sections.

2. The combination of an inclined hay loader elevator having a hinged upper section capable of being swung to different angular positions, a series of parallel compressor bars for said elevator extending upwardly beyond the hinge joint, and an independent series of compressor bars for said hinged section extending from the hinge oint.

3. The combination of a forwardly inclined hay loader elevator, wheel supports for the rear end of said elevator, a frame for the elevator and a fore-carriage at the forward end of'the. frame for supporting the overhanging weight of said elevator, and means including a frictional connection between the fore-carriage and frame for automatically holding the fore-carriage in any position to which it is moved.

4. The combination of a hay loader elevator having a frame and rear wheel supports, a fore-carriage for supporting the forward end portion of the elevator and having a tongue extending forwardly, and means including a universal joint between the frame and fore-carriage made frictionally. resistive to the movement of said forecarriage by the weight of the elevator for automatically holding the tongue in any position to which it is moved.

5. In a hay loader, an inclined elevator having a hinged upper section capable of being swung in different angular positions, a series of flexible parallel compressor bars for the lower section of said elevator extending upwardly beyond the hinged joint, and an independent series of flexible compressor bars for said upper hinged section.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 14 day of July, 1917.

LEE H. KAUPKE. 

